Chapter 65
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MJK
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Hasuo's Wish: Complete
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning.
"Oppa!"
Jang So-ye, who had slept well, came running into the living room and threw herself into my arms.
I chuckled and scooped her up.
But then.
'Huh?'
She's light.
Not in weight, but the energy emanating from her very being felt light and clear.
The murky aura I'd sensed just yesterday was gone.
No matter that discharge was now possible, it wasn't a full recovery.
Mana hypersensitivity syndrome.
The root of this disease could be seen as mana itself, which existed in this world.
A new affliction that emerged after the Tower appeared.
The doctors had said it all.
For this illness to be cured, the Tower and mana would have to vanish completely from the world.
In other words, it was an incurable disease, practically untreatable by modern medicine.
Yet now.
The heavy, turbid energy that had weighed on So-ye's body was gone like a lie.
Curious, I gently stroked her head and sent a tiny trickle of internal energy into her body— just enough not to strain her.
An extremely pure and powerful mana circuit has been detected in the target's body.
"!"
Warm, gentle mana flowed through So-ye's body.
The remnants of the murky energy that had definitely lingered yesterday were completely gone overnight, replaced entirely by pure mana.
'Mana this pure.'
Before, due to her mana hypersensitivity, So-ye had barely any detectable mana at all.
As if her body was rejecting it on its own.
But the energy I felt now was far clearer and stronger than that of most high-ranking Awakened.
'Could it be?'
I suddenly recalled what Khalif's Great Grimoire had said before.
- [Only a being with the authority of creation or initialization can perform fundamental healing.]
Creation or initialization.
I'd thought it as good as saying she needed to be reborn.
I glanced at the spot where the [Hasuo Seed Infused with a Wish] had been planted.
"Hasuo was tending to that fruit just yesterday."
I'd figured it needed more time to ripen fully, but the fruit was nowhere to be seen.
Only then did I realize.
'So that's what it was.'
The fruit Hasuo had nurtured had perfectly initialized So-ye's body.
It had erased the root of all illness and restored her to the healthiest state, brimming with her innate pure mana.
It was a miracle.
Hasuo's earnest desire and my wish.
Combined with the power of [Absolute's Herb Garden], they had woven together to create the impossible.
"So-ye-ya, thank you."
"Oppa, what's wrong? Are you crying?"
Looking at So-ye smiling brightly with her healthy face, I felt overwhelming gratitude.
Thank you for holding on.
For enduring those tough times without losing your smile, so steadfastly.
I felt a strong certainty that she'd never have to return to the hospital again.
The outskirts of Incheon's black market.
A rundown building.
Today, as always, it was filled with a chaotic mix of shouts and curses.
In the darkest, rearmost corner, in a shabby shack that looked ready to collapse at any moment, Kim Se-jin's day began.
Along with confirming his sister Kim Yu-na's coughing.
"Huh?"
But something was off.
After eating the red cherry tomatoes that man named Kang-hyun had given him, his sister's coughing had noticeably decreased.
"Yu-na, are you really okay?"
"Yeah! Breathing doesn't hurt anymore!"
A faint color even started returning to her always-pale cheeks.
And one more change.
Usually, as soon as he opened his stall, hyena-like thugs would slink around picking fights, but today they kept their distance, not daring to approach.
'No way?'
If he had to guess why.
A few days ago, Kang-hyun had subdued two C-rank Hunters in an instant.
That overwhelming power in that brief moment.
It seemed to have served as a powerful warning to everyone.
The black market operated on ruthless law of the jungle logic.
The weak had everything taken, and the powerless became prey for the strong—it was the natural rule.
After their parents passed, the Kim siblings had struggled daily in this merciless world just to survive.
'But... things have changed.'
Rumors spread fast in the black market.
Everyone probably thought some terrifying backer stood behind Kim Se-jin, someone not to be touched.
"...Is it okay to feel this at ease?"
Kim Se-jin muttered blankly.
Without threats or wariness, the world looked so different.
How long had it been since he could breathe easy without watching his back?
For the first time since starting life in the black market, Kim Se-jin welcomed a peaceful morning.
Like back when his parents were alive.
When no one treated them poorly, and they could just sell their wares normally—that warmth from those days.
All thanks to that man named Kang-hyun.
He who became a new light.
The one who planted the desire to live with hope.
Today too, he felt deep gratitude toward Kang-hyun from the bottom of his heart.
Around that time, a small expedition party formed at the rural house.
-Hmeu?
The chicken knelt down, lowering itself so Muryong and Hasuo could easily climb onto its back.
"Cluck-ooh!"
With a mighty cry, the expedition set off.
Showing off steady driving skills with no jolts, to keep the two passengers from getting anxious.
"Pwaaeng...?"
Muryong occasionally went out at night to meet White Snake, but this was Hasuo's first time venturing this far.
Its eyes wide round, it couldn't tear its gaze from the passing forest scenery.
"Cluck!"
Midway up the mountain, today's destination.
Once the chicken settled and let Muryong and Hasuo down, something strange happened in the woods.
-Hmeuuht?
All the animals prostrated themselves flat on the ground, clearing the path.
Led by a raccoon, badgers, mountain hares—even a moon bear in the distance.
"Grooo..."
Beyond wariness, they were showing reverence for the procession.
They didn't know exactly what those little glutinous rice cake and walking root were.
But beastly instinct told them.
Beings of a fundamentally different caliber.
True masters of this forest, not to be defied.
Flap!
Seeing this, the chicken puffed up proudly, spreading its wings wide for some reason.
-Hmeu!
Where Muryong pointed, a small strawberry vine grew from between rocks.
Wild strawberries, emanating a clear, sweet fragrance incomparable to store-bought ones.
"Pwaeng!"
Hasuo dashed over and carefully plucked the mountain strawberries with its tiny root hands.
Having discovered a talent for handling plants while sowing and tending seeds, it harvested them skillfully without damaging the fruit.
Division of labor: Hasuo picked, Muryong neatly packed them into a small basket.
"Sniff..."
"Shii..."
Meanwhile, the forest beasts didn't dare lift their heads, pretending not to notice as they waited for the work to finish.
Once the basket was sufficiently full, the chicken loaded them up again and leisurely headed home.
Only after the expedition fully vanished did the forest animals finally exhale.
But none dared make noise or move recklessly.
Like a street lingering with the afterglow of a great king's passage.
That afternoon, Kang-hyun returned home and found a small basket on the porch.
"What's this?"
It was filled with freshly picked, vibrant strawberries.
And prettily tucked into the basket handle was a small wildflower So-ye would love.
Did the kids bring it for So-ye?
-Hmeuht!
Seeing them in the yard with proud expressions, expecting a reaction, I couldn't help but laugh.
Their earnest wish to help, to bring joy—it came through crystal clear.
I picked one strawberry from the basket and tasted it.
A bit sour, still unripe with a tangy bite.
"Alright, let's plant these too."
I patted their heads and carried the basket to the garden.
Even these ordinary wild strawberries would become something extraordinary after passing through my garden.
No—even without special power, these were already the world's most special strawberries.
Incheon International Airport.
In the quiet arrivals hall, a woman walked out silently.
"..."
Face hidden by hat and mask, topped with an illusion artifact blurring her features.
Thanks to the disguise, she looked like just another ordinary traveler.
Xiao Lin, China's No. 1 S-rank Hunter.
Her visit was top secret.
Entering another country alone, without attendants or guards—this was a first in her life.
All for that faint hope of saving her comrade, dormant for three years.
Solely clutching that sliver of possibility, she set foot on Korean soil alone.
'Gorani-man.'
She knew nothing—where he was, how to meet him.
But Lin desperately hoped.
That her voice would reach the great being who had worked a miracle for Yu Jin-hyuk.
"Liu..."
As Lin left the airport and looked up at Seoul's dark sky, her eyes reddened.
At the same time, she felt hope.
Somewhere under this sky, he was there.
No one but Gorani-man could save Liu.
Just knowing her sole hope, her last savior, was under the same sky filled her with overflowing hope.
That night, atop the rural house roof.
Whoooosh-
Bunny sat alone on the weathered tile roof, quietly gazing at the night sky.
A night sky as deep and vast as the countryside's—and the eons it evoked.
That sky sometimes stirred very distant, ancient memories.
Struggle and betrayal.
An endless chaos of the strong killing each other.
Bunny had survived that hellish turmoil.
"..."
As countless gods and demon lords turned to dust and vanished, when all faced peril of mortality.
Bunny had disguised itself as a plush toy to remain in this world.
So this place's peace always felt foreign compared to before.
The [Earth's Lullaby Music Box] tinkling from the garden.
Gorani's peaceful breathing from the shed.
And the warm embrace of little owner So-ye, hugging it tight in sleep.
All so unfamiliar, yet heart-swellingly happy.
Lately, one earnest wish had bloomed in Bunny.
To protect this peace.
If anything threatened the owner and this little family, whatever it was.
With just a fraction of its power, it could erase a continent from this small planet's map.
Bunny could sense it.
A joyful change was coming to this daily life soon.
With little owner's body fully recovered, her latent powerful mana was beginning to awaken.
Now was the time to properly fulfill its bodyguard role, to protect that pure power unharmed.
Kiiing...
Bunny's black button eyes quietly gleamed like stars in the night sky.